Oil-saver.



- LESLIE G. WEN, OF i SAS crrr, ssofmr' firewflenefmtersratent Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed June 17, 1918. Serial No. 104,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnsmn G. BOWEN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil-Savers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to oil savers, and one object is to provide a simple and inexpensive device of this character to prevent oil escaping from the top of flowing wells during the drilling operation.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is releasably retained in place at the top of a well, so that when contacted by a tool, such as a drill, bailer, etc., during the removal thereof from; the well, no injury will result either to my device or the tool.

Other objects will hereinafter appear, and in order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the device applied to the casing head of a well.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail of a latch employed in carrying out the invention.

Fig. 4 is a broken horizontal section of a plunger constituting a part of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the'various parts, A designates the well casing surmounted by the usual casing head B.

1 designates my closure device which embodies a shell 2. provided with a circular flange}, adapted to be reliably held upon a seat C in the casing head B, by latches 4:v and screws 5. a

6 designates a plunger slidable in the shell 2- and provided at its upper threaded end with a collar 7, which limits downward movement of. said plunger. When the plunger 6 is at the end of 1ts downward movement the collar 7 rests upon a packing ring 8, whereby suitable packing 9 is held in position to seal the joint between the shell l and the plunger 6.

The plunger 6 which is, preferably, cylindrical in form has a plurality of grooves 10 of T-form in cross section and having mner walls 11 converging downwardly toward each other, as disclosed-by Fig. 1.

The latches 4 are arranged radially about the vertical axis of the plunger 6 and embody stems 12 extendinginto the grooves 10 and terminating at their ends in T-heads 13, which extend. into the lateral portions 14 of the grooves 10, so that the walls thereof may draw the latches inward when the plunger 6 moves upward, and push said latches outward when said plunger moves downward. Recesses 15 are provided in the clrcular flanges 2 to admit of the latches 4 .moving inward out ofi contact with the screws 5, which overlap the beveled outer sides 16 of said latches 4 when the parts' are in normaLposition, as disclosed by Fig. 1.

The plunger 6 has ,a central bore 17 for the free passage of the cable D, which works freely up and. down in said bore during the drilling operation. The lower end of the cable Dis provided with the usual socket E to which a drill, bailer, or other tool may "be attached. Oil is prevented from flowing upward through the bore 17 by packin 18 held in the plunger 6 by a gland 19 provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 20, whereby it may be adjusted to force the packing around the cable D. Care,'however, is taken not to compress the packing 18. around the cable 1) tight enough to cause it to lift the closure from its seat C in the casing head B, when the cable moves upward.

In practice, when the closure is in position n the casing, head B, the operation of the cable -D whether drilling, bailing, etc., proceeds in the usual manner, but when the tools are to be withdrawn they are raised and on contacting the underside of the plunger 6, force the same upwardto thedotted position, Fig.1, causing it'through the intermediacy of the Inclined walls of the grooves 10 to draw the latches 4 inward from beneath the screws '5, so that the closure can move upward with the tool. When thus removed, the closure remains on the cable and above the tool, so that when the latter is again introduced into the well, the lowering of the cable results in seating the closure in the casing head B.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have produced a simple and inexpensive device possessing the features of advantage above enumerated, and wh1leI have shown and described the preflerred form of my invention, I reserve the right to make such. changes in-the construction,

' the walls of which control said releasable l in and out of engagement with the casing head, 'means to limit the movement of said proportion, and arrangement of parts, as

properly fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-. ent, is:

closure for said casing head, releasable means for securing said closure to the casing head, and means slidable in the closure and pro videdwith downwardly converging grooves means. w 7

2 The combination of a casing head, a closure for said casing head, releasable means for securing said closure to the casing head,

said means being provided with T-shaped *terminals, and means slidable inthe closure,

' and provlded with converging grooves to receive said T-shaped terminals and control the releasable means.

3.. The combination of a casing -head,

screws in the upper portions thereof, latches slidable in the gagement with closure and having beveled outer terminals for engagement with said 25 screws," and; means slidable i 11 the closure and engaging the inner terminals of said latches to move the same in and out of enthe casing head.

4.- The combination of a casing head, a 30 closure for said casing head, latches slidable in said closure, and adapted to secure V the same to the casing head, a plunger slidable in the closureand having grooves with walls engaging the latches to move the same 35 LESLIE-G, BOWEN.

Witnesses: Y

' F.-G. Frsormn,

L.- J. Frsomm. 

